How the Internet Has Changed Window Cleaning Marketing

The internet has changed a lot about the way we live. In turn, it has a lot of implications for window cleaning marketing.

One does not need to think too hard to realize all the ways the internet has affected our lives. Just reach into your pocket for your phone and consider all the things you can do with it that just 20 years ago would have been unimaginable. 

We can argue over the benefits and drawbacks of these changes, especially as they relate to our personal lives. For window cleaning businesses, all this connectivity can be used to your advantage.

Change Brings New Challenges and Opportunities

The ways in which the internet is transforming the workplace is definitely a plus for businesses. Digital technologies make it much easier for businesses to grow and find their niche. 

Even though these changes can be considered positive, they do present some challenges, especially in the home cleaning industry. 

As a result, we’ve outlined some of the specific ways in which the internet has changed window cleaning marketing. Following the advice here, you can keep pace with the rate of change. Here are eight ways the internet has changed window cleaning marketing.

1. The Importance of Online Reputation

Before the internet, building a good reputation in the community meant doing a good job, giving back, and communicating well. The core principles of building your reputation remain the same in the digital age. Thanks to the internet, there are many areas you need to address to manage your online reputation.

Keep reading to learn some of the specific ways you can improve the way your company is perceived online.

2. Website Best Practices

First off, it’s no longer enough to just have a website. You need a great website, one that gives customers who check you out online a good first impression. Not convinced this is important? Consider that around 70-80 percent of people research a company online before they decide to do business with it

This means your website needs to not only provide relevant information about your business, but it also needs to engage audiences. Doing this means discussing who you are as a company. Highlight your story, your values, your mission, and any other information your market might find useful. For window cleaning businesses, this could mean providing resources for clients on how windows can help insulate a home, or tips on how to care for other areas of a property. This content takes time and effort to produce. If you make the effort and your competition does not, it can give you an advantage. 

Your website also needs to make it easier for people to spend money with you. Online booking portals and scheduling tools will set you apart from other companies. They allow customers to interact with you in a hassle-free way. Think about it. Would you, as a consumer, rather send an email or leave a phone message and wait to hear back about an appointment? Or would you rather select a date and time that works for you in a company’s online booking engine, and then be on your way?

3. Apps

Mobile applications are also a critical component of today’s service industry. Using window cleaning business software with a mobile app will make sure that your team has all of the info they need about the day’s jobs.

It’s also prudent to ensure you appear in the best possible light on apps that people use to find businesses near them, such as Yelp!, Angie’s List, and of course in web searches in their web browser. 

You also want to make sure your website is optimized for mobile phones and for the relevant search terms of your business and area. This way, current and potential customers using their phones to research you can easily find you, have an excellent experience and are encouraged to connect with you.

4. Social Media

Ah yes, social media. Where would we be without it? It certainly has its drawbacks. It can also create a lot of opportunities, especially in the window cleaning industry where a lot of your new clients will hear about you via word-of-mouth. 

This means you need to have an active social media strategy. This can include keeping your different pages (e.g. Facebook and Instagram) up to date. Populate them with relevant content and respond to people’s comments and questions and anything they happen to post about you. 

For your window cleaning marketing, this last point is particularly relevant. Having clients post videos or photos of their homes after you’ve left them spotless and sparkling is a huge endorsement. It will help expose you to new clients and help you build and improve your reputation. Overall, there are tons of ways in which you can use social media to support your business. It’s a good idea to add someone to your team that specializes in social media. They can help you use it to grow.

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5. Online Reviews

We’ve hinted about the importance of word-of-mouth marketing for window cleaning businesses. Online review portals are a critical component of this. The vast majority of people will use these sites in their decision-making process. This means you must tend to this aspect of your web presence.

Encourage customers to leave a review by reaching out to them after you’ve provided them a service. You should also respond to the things people say about you. Positive comments should garner gratitude, and negative comments should bring compassion and empathy. 

It’s impossible to completely prevent bad reviews – there are always disgruntled people out there. However, if you respectfully respond and try to work towards a solution,  you can help save face with future customers. This demonstrates that customer satisfaction is important to your business and will improve your online reputation.

6. Increased Competition

Your window cleaning business likely has a specific service area that you operate in. People tend to trust local businesses with which they have a relationship, especially since the nature of this business means they will be inviting strangers to their homes. 

However, because of the internet, this trend is changing. Larger firms from other areas can hire people remotely and can expand into your market. This means you will need to work even harder to retain your current clients and distinguish yourself. Expect new competitors to emerge in your area. Be prepared to fend them off by solidifying your relationships and working hard to set yourself apart online and in other areas.

Another way the internet is ramping up the competition in the window cleaning space is through the gig economy. Apps such as TaskRabbit and Housekeeper.com are offering people cheap alternatives to cleaning services. If you’re not careful, these can cut deeply into your business. Of course, you can distinguish yourself by promoting your professionalism and reputation. If you don’t develop a strategy that highlights these features of your business, you may find yourself being undercut by cheaper alternatives. Don’t compete with them on price, compete with the quality of your service. Do you have top quality rigging and safety equipment for hard-to-reach windows or highrises? Celebrate that.

7. Customer Service

One way the internet has changed all businesses is that it has established the norm that companies must always be available to its customers. This can be a challenge for local window cleaning businesses, but there are solutions. For example, installing live chat or a chatbot on your website is a great way to tend to customer needs when they try to reach you with questions outside of your normal business hours. 

The easiest way to answer these questions is to publish a FAQ (frequently asked questions) page or a blog on your website. Customers can use this part of your website to answer questions they might have. This will save both you and your customers time, while also providing an excellent service. Your live chat resources can link to the answers your customers seek without having to retype responses to commonly asked questions.

8. Faster Payments

How you accept payments has become an important part of the customer experience. It’s something you need to pay attention to in this digital age. 

In the past, home cleaning businesses worked mostly on cash or cheque, and while you can still accept these forms of payment, you need to update your point-of-sale system to make sure you can take all the digital payment methods that exist in today’s marketplace. Sending digital invoices when the job is complete will save paper and time.

Allowing customers to pay online or in-person when the job is complete will make things much more convenient for them as well as your field teams. Getting paid faster works wonders for window cleaning businesses, especially in terms of cash flow.

It’s Time To Modernize Your Window Cleaning Marketing

There are many more ways in which the internet is forcing businesses to modernize. In the window cleaning industry, embracing this transformation and adapting to it can profoundly improve your business and set it up for sustained success well into the future.

Want to learn more about window cleaning business software with online booking, scheduling, invoicing, and online payments? A modern suite of software tools can help you manage and grow your window cleaning business, saving your team and your customers’ time. To learn more, book a free, private demo of Vonigo.